Don't Take Advice With a Grain of Salt
by soda-denial
Summary: AU. Squee has a counselor. Whom he doesn't listen to at all. Slightly twisted ending.


**Disclaimer** : I own nothing! LOVE ME!

**Characters** : Squee, Johnny, Pepito

**Warnings** : Alternate Universe. Johnny is Squee's counselor. Johnny doesn't kill people.

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**Don't Take Advice With a Grain of Salt**

**B**ack in my junior high school days, I had a counselor, whose name was Johnny, and he was also my neighbor. Before meeting him, I was always getting picked on, I was easily scared, and my best friend was a stuffed bear.

We always met up on Wednesdays at 3:30pm, after the entire student body rushed to escape the tortures of school. I would sit in a chair, in front of his desk, waiting for him to return from the teacher's lounge.

He would walk in, usually around fifteen minutes late, and drop his bag onto the floor, then slump into his chair. After that, he tended to smile at me, then ask how my day went. My reply always remained the same; "Fine. How was your's?"

I remember that, at this point, he would always chuckle and say his day was tiring. I would ask him why and he would explain it.

Truth be told, I acted more like the psychiatrist and he was my patient. I definitely offered him more advice than he ever gave me. Not that it bothered me or anything. It was just amazing to finally have someone real to talk to.

After a few months of happy counseling, something changed. A new student joined my class and he became my immediate friend.

His name was the strangest one I had ever heard. It was Pepito. He was my total opposite. While I was nice and very shy, he tended to lean towards being cruel (more like sadistic), and quite loud and obnoxious. I still enjoyed having him as a friend though.

Johnny, on the other hand, did not like Pepito at all. He told me again and again that Pepito was a bad person and nothing but trouble. That was the only thing I argued with Johnny about. We fought about Pepito every time we were in the same room.

Well, that is, until Johnny got fed up with me and told me that he would never try and help me again. I still remember his exact words...

"Squeegee, I care about you, but if all you're going to do is just argue with me when I tell you that your friend is a bad influence, I have no choice. I'm sorry Todd; I can't be your counselor any longer."

When he said that, I couldn't believe my ears. I remember begging him to reconsider but he wouldn't... Unless I ended my friendship with Pepito. Since I didn't, he left.

Johnny quit his job, and moved out of the neighborhood (which I thought was quite dramatic of him.)

The next time I saw Johnny was when I was in my first year of high school. He was in the local corner store, the 24/7. I timidly walked up to him, hoping he'd be happy to see me.

He was, and we talked amiably for a while.

We finally got to the topic of Pepito. I told Johnny that Pepito moved back to where he used to live. Johnny, never-the-less, was quite happy.

That's when he asked, "See? Don't you feel so much _cleaner_ now?"

In the distance I could hear police siren while I paused, before nodding. Johnny began to stare at me strangely. I recall him asking; "Why didn't you put up more of a fight? He was your friend!"

At that point, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I began to smirk.

I remember the look he gave me. It was a look I'd seen him use on Pepito. One of disgust, disappointment, and a tiny bit of fear.

The sirens grew closer, and I remember Johnny looking quite worried right then.

With the sounds of police cars pulling into the parking lot, I know I began to grin and laugh a bit. I suppose I never really told Johnny why Pepito left town, but that doesn't really matter now.

The last sight I remember before the police took me away was the distressed look on Johnny's face.

Now, sitting here on this grimy floor, behind these steel bars, I've realized I learned only one thing. Listen to the people around you, who know more about life, and know right from wrong. And, although teenagers insist upon always being right and knowing everything, they aren't and don't.

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I wrote this for a very important exam a couple years ago, and got a hundred percent.  
HUGE ego boost.

-Taryn


End file.
